Michael Freund is Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel (www.shavei.org), which reaches out and assists "lost Jews" seeking to return to the Jewish people. He writes a syndicated column and feature stories for the Jerusalem Post. Previously, he served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Israeli Prime Minister´s Office under former premier Benjamin Netanyahu.

The list of Middle Eastern dictatorships seeking to develop nuclear technology now has its newest member: Saudi Arabia.

That's right. The same country which boycotts Israel, finances the spread of radical Islamist fundamentalism worldwide and which, less than a decade ago, spawned 15 of the terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks, now plans to develop nuclear technology.

As I suggest in the column below from the Jerusalem Post, this dreadful scenario is a direct result of Washington's mishandling of Iran's atomic ambitions over the past few years. By allowing Tehran to proceed apace with its rush to cross the nuclear threshold, Washington has unwittingly created the conditions for a possible future nuclear arms race that will destabilize the entire Middle East.

If the Iranians aren't stopped, and soon, we may wake up a few years from now to discover that Saudi Arabia and other unfriendly regimes have decided to upgrade their "civilian" nuclear programs into weapons-making machines. Like it or not, the only way to prevent this from happening is to remove the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran from casting a shadow over the entire region.

Last week, a news item appeared which should send a shiver down the spine of anyone concerned about the future of the Middle East.

In a story out of Riyadh, the official Saudi Press Agency announced that the desert kingdom has decided to go nuclear.

That's right. The same country which boycotts Israel, finances the spread of radical Islamist fundamentalism worldwide and which, less than a decade ago, spawned 15 of the terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks, now plans to develop nuclear technology.

According to the report, the Saudi regime will open a new center, dubbed the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy, ostensibly because of "sustained growth in demand for power and desalinated water due to high population growth and subsidized prices of water and power".

In other words, the Saudis are insisting that their motivation is entirely peaceful, driven by domestic energy concerns.

But it is hard to take such claims seriously.

After all, according to the US Energy Information Administration, Saudi Arabia has some 264 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, which amounts to "around one-fifth of proven, conventional world oil reserves."

In addition, they maintain "the world’s largest crude oil production capacity", which is estimated at some 11 to 12 million barrels a day.

So it is not as if Saudi citizens are in danger of having to dim the lights any time soon.

The Saudis realize that developing a nuclear industry may be good energy policy, but it is also good foreign policy too, especially when Washington appears to be asleep at the wheel.

In this respect, the Saudis are not alone. Gulf Arab states, which traditionally view Iran with suspicion, are naturally terrified at the prospect of the Ayatollahs having their finger on the button, so an increasing number have also begun to plunge down the path toward nuclear know-how.

Earlier this month, oil-rich Kuwait signed a civilian nuclear cooperation deal with France. And last week, the United Arab Emirates' Nuclear Energy Corporation announced that it has chosen a site to construct the country's first nuclear power station, which will go on-line within seven years.

Other Arab states, such as Egypt and Qatar, have also declared an interest in developing nuclear technology and infrastructure.

And at a conference in Paris last month, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Feisal Mekdad said that Damascus is looking at "alternative energy sources, including nuclear energy".

He insisted that, "the peaceful application of nuclear energy should not be monopolized by the few that own this technology but should be available to all.”

And so we have all the makings of a region-wide proliferation of nuclear know-how.

Of course, all the countries involved have adamantly maintained that they are only seeking to split atoms for "peaceful purposes" and that they have no military aims in mind.

But can we really rely on the assurances of an array of Middle Eastern dictators and despots that they won't be tempted to seek nuclear weapons?

I don't know about you, but the thought of the Wahabi regime in Saudi Arabia or the Kuwaiti royal family going nuclear just does not help me to sleep any easier at night.

This dreadful scenario is a direct result of Washington's mishandling of Iran's atomic ambitions over the past few years, first under George W. Bush and now under Barack Obama.

By allowing Tehran to proceed apace with its rush to cross the nuclear threshold, Washington has unwittingly created the conditions for a possible future nuclear arms race that will destabilize the entire Middle East.

The lack of American will to confront the Ayatollahs, and to stop them in their tracks, has given various Arab leaders plenty of incentive, as well as a good excuse, to proceed down the nuclear trail.

Indeed, it may already be too late to prevent this trend from spreading, as contracts are being signed and checks are cashed.

But in any event, it is time that Washington realize the damage it is doing to its own interests, as well as to its allies such as Israel, by allowing Iran to continue with its mad dash to build nuclear weapons.

If the Iranians aren't stopped, and soon, we may wake up a few years from now to discover that Saudi Arabia and other unfriendly regimes have decided to upgrade their "civilian" nuclear programs into weapons-making machines.

Like it or not, the only way to prevent this from happening is to remove the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran from casting a shadow over the entire region.

So it should be clear to anyone who wishes to see: the sooner the Tyrant of Tehran is stopped, the safer all of us will be.